NEW ZEALAND TRIVIA

                                       Fun Facts

 There are no barns in New Zealand as we know them.

Grazing horses wearing blankets soon became a familiar sight. The blankets help keep the horses warm during cool nights, and. keeps dust off their coats and protects their skin from the sun during the day.

Another odd thing we saw was cows all had their tails cut off. We were told there is no fly problem, and it is believed that a cow’s urine in the eye of the farmer can cause a serious hepatitis-like illness, which is the primary reason for bobbing the cow’s tail.

Nearly all the homes in New Zealand had tile roofs. An imitation roof tile is made there, but most of the tile is exported.

New Zealand has a 12 ½ % value added tax (VAT) that is added to all goods.

Cumera, a sweet potato, much lighter in color and less flavorful than our yam, is a staple of the New Zealand diet.

There are no poisonous snakes or spiders.

A 1936 volcanic eruption in the Rotorua area killed 150 people. In 1990 two earthquakes registered 6 on the Richter scale.

Rhododendrons were in bloom everywhere and the size of trees lines the streets. They were simply gorgeous!

New Zealand is a narrow isthmus 1000 miles long. The   Waihita River, at 220 miles is the longest river in the country. It is dammed nine times for hydro-electric production and  is the Mississippi of New Zealand.

Authentic Maori wood carvings have only three fingers on the hands as the Maori believe only in birth, fertility, and death.

Australia and New Zealand have been rivals for years over who makes the best Pavlova--- named for the dancer. Of course I wanted to try the famous dessert.  I enjoyed the baked meringue pie shell filled with whipped cream (the real stuff) and topped with thin kiwi slices on our arrival morning in Auckland, New Zealand. We had arrived at 5:30 AM so by 8  the yummy dish hit the spot and held me until lunchtime.

In 1769, 127 years after Abel Tasman discovered and named N Z, Captain James Cook and his crew arrived and were the first Europeans to set foot on New Zealand soil.

Three fourths of the population live on the north island with 84% of them living in urban areas. Auckland’s population is 1.5 million. Maori make up 10% of the population and is the largest minority group;

All native trees are evergreens, and there are many varieties. They provide a lush greenness all year. All the deciduous trees have been imported.

There are many active volcanic craters in the country and earthquakes of varying degrees are fairly common. The last serious quake was in the 1950s near Wellington. The last volcanic eruption was in 1936. There are many geysers in the country.

The country has little in the way of natural resources. Strawberries, timber and logs, kiwi fruit, and wool are large export items and we saw lots of each.

All automobiles are imported as New Zealand does not manufacture cars.

Kiwi grows on a vine similar to a grape vine. The vines are trellised so the fruit can be picked from beneath.  All fruit is picked by hand in May. Actually the kiwi is the Chinese gooseberry, but when New Zealand was ready to market the fruit they knew the original name would be a hindrance so they renamed it.

New Zealand has three kiwis—1 the fruit. 2 the people are known as kiwis and 3 the nocturnal flightless bird.